Page 39 of Shattering

But Sue knew.

The older nurse, with her sharp eyes and no-nonsense warmth, noticed immediately.

She caught Cadi at the nurses' station, arms folded, studying her like she was a problem that needed solving.

"You cancelled your afternoon clinics."

Cadi didn't look up. "I rearranged them."

"You never cancel clinics."

Cadi exhaled through her nose, forcing herself to look at the schedule on the computer screen, though she wasn't actually reading it.

Sue stepped closer. "Cadi."

The concern in her voice made Cadi's throat tighten.

Sue wasn't just a colleague—she had been here since the beginning, since Cadi's first rotation, watching her grow from an eager trainee into a calm, capable consultant.

She had seen her tired.

She had seen her overwhelmed.

But she had never seen her like this.

"What's going on?"

Cadi's grip tightened on the counter.

She knew what she wanted to say—the truth.

That she was waiting for a DNA test result that would confirm what she already knew, but the waiting itself was unbearable.

That she had nowhere to put the weight of it all, that it had settled into her chest, her bones, making every breath feel heavier than the last.

But instead, she forced out a small, thin smile.

"Nothing I can't handle."

Sue didn't look convinced, but she didn't push further.

Instead, she just sighed, flipping open the patient file on the counter.

"Your first patient is already in the exam room."

Cadi straightened. Pulled herself together.

This—this she could do.

She stepped into the exam room, finding her first patient already seated in a wheelchair.

A 55-year-old paraplegic male, referred from trauma surgery after falling off a roof. The notes indicated spinal cord injury, severe neuropathic pain, and worsening depression.

Cadi offered a small nod, reaching for the file.

"Good morning, Mr. Keane. I'm Dr. Hughes, consultant in physical medicine and rehabilitation."

He barely lifted his gaze, his voice dull, tired. "Morning, Doctor."

---